Resuscitation
-
Comparative Study
Comparison of manual pulse palpation, cardiac ultrasonography and Doppler ultrasonography to check the pulse in cardiopulmonary arrest patients.
For health professionals, the absence of pulse checked by manual palpation is a primary indicator for initiating chest compressions in patients considered to have cardiopulmonary arrest (CA). However, using a pulse check to evaluate perfusion during CA may be associated with some risks of its own. Our objective was to compare the efficiency of cardiac ultrasonography (CUSG), Doppler ultrasonography (DUSG), and manual pulse palpation methods to check the pulse in CA patients. ⋯ The use of real-time CUSG during resuscitation provides a substantial contribution to the resuscitation team. CUSG will allow earlier and more accurate detection of pulse than manual pulse palpation and DUSG.
-
Recent studies suggest that a 48-h therapeutic hypothermia protocol does not improve outcomes in paediatric out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of 72-h therapeutic hypothermia at 33 °C compared to normothermia at 35.5 °C-37.5 °C on outcomes and the incidence of adverse events in paediatric asphyxial out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survivors. ⋯ Paediatric asphyxial out-of-hospital cardiac arrest was associated with high mortality and morbidity. Seventy-two-hour therapeutic hypothermia was associated with a better 1-month survival rate and 6-month neurological outcomes than normothermia in our paediatric patients with asphyxial out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
-
Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) is frequently attributed to coronary artery disease, thus guidelines recommend coronary angiography (CAG) for survivors of OHCA. However, the real-world application of these guidelines is unknown, and we sought to evaluate CAG practices in the contemporary OHCA population. ⋯ Only one-third of patients presenting to PCI-capable hospitals underwent CAG after OHCA. Patient selection for an invasive strategy after OHCA appeared to be heavily influenced by pre-hospital presentation variables.
-
Observational Study
How much experience do rescuers require to achieve successful tracheal intubation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation?
The cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) guidelines recommend that endotracheal intubation (ETI) should be performed only by highly skilled rescuers. However, the definition of 'highly skilled' is unclear. This study evaluated how much experience with ETI is required for rescuers to perform successful ETI quickly without complications including serious chest compression interruption (interruption time <10 s) or oesophageal intubation during CPR. ⋯ Accumulated experience can improve the ETI success rate and time to successful ETI during CPR. Because ETI must be performed quickly without serious interruption of chest compression during CPR, becoming proficient at ETI requires more experience than that required for non-arrest patients. In our analysis, more than 240 experiences were required to achieve a 90% success rate of highly qualified ETI.
-
This study was designed to assess the effect of two veno-arterial ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) blood-flow strategies in an experimental model of Extracorporeal Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation (ECPR) on macrocirculatory, metabolic and microcirculatory parameters in the first six hours of ECMO initiation. ⋯ In an experimental porcine model of refractory cardiac arrest treated by ECMO, a low-blood-flow strategy during the first six hours of resuscitation was associated with lower lactate clearance and lower cerebral blood flow with no benefits on ischemia-reperfusion parameters.